In post-Mao's China, the demand for artistic freedom and experiments in abstract art

Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 4:00 pm

UCLA Perloff Hall Decafe

Artist Q&A and reception to follow

In 1979 the STARS avant-garde art collective, founded by Huang Rui along with 22 other Chinese artists including Ai Weiwei and Wang Keping, famously protested government censorship of the arts by hanging their work on the fence outside the Chinese National Art Gallery in Beijing. The exhibition was soon shut down, but the STARS continued to advocate for freedom of expression through bold artistic experimentation and unlicensed public exhibitions. As part of the STARS and as an independent artist, Huang Rui has made socially-engaged artwork in a variety of media, from sculpture and oil painting to performance and installations. He also helped establish the 798 Art District in Beijing in the mid-2000s.

In his talk, Huang Rui will discuss his early work with the STARS and the collective’s unique foundational role in the development of China’s contemporary art scene.